


Problematic Partner Perceptions

by 1f_this_be_madness



Series: So Shines A Good Deed-Police Partners [4]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Gen, There is a long note at the end of this story with my thoughts about strong friendships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-07-26 19:51:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7587643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1f_this_be_madness/pseuds/1f_this_be_madness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Judy Hopps' parents are incredibly proud of her occupation, but they don't exactly understand police vernacular, and have mistaken Nick Wilde for her partner in the romantic sense rather than the official. When they invite him to the Bunnyburrow farm festival, things get interesting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Problematic Partner Perceptions

Judy's parents still don't understand police vernacular. After she told them stories about her partner, they decided to invite him to Bunnyburrow for Farm Fest, an event that lasts three days every harvest season. It includes produce-tasting contests, Toss-the-Carrot-in-the-Tub, hay rides, rabbit hole . . . and they want their daughter's special friend to join them.

"I know you kids have different names for going together nowadays," her dad says over FaceTime one evening after pitching the idea, "but honey, your mother and I want you to know we accept whatever you want to call your relationship."

"Oh, Dad, it's not--"

"We just really want to get to know your special -boy- friend!" Her mom smiles excitedly, and Judy has to resist the strong urge to laugh or roll her eyes. She can't quite bring herself to explain their parental perceptions away because they would most likely think she was being defensive no matter WHAT she said. Parents are like that. She just had to figure out how to break this odd news to Nick.

***

Judy breaks it in the break room when they take lunch with Clawhauser, Grizzoli, and Wolfson. Francine came through and endured half of an elephant joke before exiting. Nick's mom had sent him an egg salad sandwich and he coaxed for his partner to try it--he was always after her to have some of the food that his mother made. "She always wants to know how you're doing, Fluff," Nick says with his mouth full. Judy makes a face at his (lack of) manners. He winks and swallows. "Thinks you're the greatest girl on earth for taking such good care of her little boy, so she keeps telling me that I need to take care of you." He rolls his eyes and smiles. "I told her there's no need to. You've got a pretty good handle on yourself now, even with those unbalanced emotions of yours." Judy snorts.

"Haha. Well, tell her thank you anyway, Nicholas. After all, YOU need all the help you can get." He tsks.

"Whatever you say, rabbit. You know you love me."

"Yes, I do. And, um, my parents actually want to meet you. They've been hearing a lot about my new partner and invited you to stay at the house for Farm Fest. It's just this little shindig in Bunnyburrow," she rushes to explain, "Some hickish thing, produce tasting and hay rides and stuff. You probably wouldn't be interested, but--"

"Now hang on, rabbit," her partner quickly interrupted. "Tasting produce means there'll be more of those fabulous blueberries, correct?"

"Well, yes; and raspberries and blackberries too. Plus we have the best vulpine pastry chef in the whole county." Nick's eyes narrow and he licks his lips in ecstasy.

"Say no more, Officer Hopps--I am IN! And a foxy pastry chef, eh?" He slicks back his ears and straightens his tie. "You may have to introduce me to this lady." Judy giggles.

"I shall, Nick, but you might be a tad disappointed--he's actually a gentleman." Nick looks put-out, but only for a second.

"Really? Well I'll be sure to sample his produce, anyway. Thanks for the invite, Judy." Judy smiles at her friend fondly.

"Of course, Nick. But be ready--my parents seem to think that we're 'partners' in, um, a more romantic sense of the word." Nick cocks his head and rests his chin on a paw, considering her words with slitted eyes and a satisfied smile that makes Judy nervous. She knows what is probably going to happen next. "Oh come ON, you're going to tease me about this in front of them, aren't you??" He gasps, shaking his head and affecting innocence.

"Who, me? Officer Hopps, I am nothing if not tactful and professional! I'd never even DREAM of doing such a thing! I will tease you about it now, however." The bunny shoots him a dirty look as she gathers up the remainder of her lunch.

"Of course you will. Why am I not surprised?"

***

They are on patrol later in the week, Judy having let her parents know that Nick will indeed be coming, to their great delight--and her father's slight chagrin, because he wants to act the part of the intimidating dad to protect his little girl's virtue, but there is no way that he'll be able to intimidate a FOX. Never mind the fact that Judy is so in command of herself that she probably doesn't even need his protectiveness at all.

Nick, in his usual spot in the passenger seat, starts chuckling. "Did you even attempt to explain the nature of our relationship to your parents, bunny? Or did you misguidedly allow them to draw their own conclusions?" Judy scowls.

"First of all, Mr. Smarty-fox, I told them we were partners on the force. But they're parents, and bunnies. Is it my fault the only type of male/female relationship they can imagine is a romantic one? They always thought I was crazy for not settling down and having babies. This is them hoping too hard."

"But they ARE proud of you for becoming a cop, right?"

"Yes, they are NOW, but they were terrified too. And that's another reason they want to meet you--you're the only reason their baby girl is able to stay safe."

"Awww, is their leetle baby dawter not abwule to take cawe of herself?" The fox teases in a sing-song baby voice. But Judy remains serious as she stops the car at a light and pans her violet eyes around the intersection.

"I didn't do too well those first thirty-eight hours; not until you told off Chief for me." She doesn't want to say that, to admit how helpless, how useless she had felt. But this was Nick. If she couldn't trust him with how she felt and what she thought, she couldn't trust anyone. The fox's eyes widen with shock and dismay. He hadn't realized before just how hard those first days as a police officer had been for his partner. And he hadn't made them any easier.

"But you stuck with it, Judy," he reminds her. "You're tough, or you would've folded when Bogo put you on traffic ticket duty, or even when you met me." He says with certainty. 

"Don't flatter yourself, Nick Wilde--you're not THAT much of a fox's fox to make every little bunny hick run back home to her parents!" He grabs her arm and nods at her triumphantly.

"That's RIGHT, Judy, and you didn't run back to Bunnyburrow, did you? No! Instead you said to me: 'Nobody tells me what I can do or who I can be.' Then you even hustled me, Carrots. ME. The con-fox of con foxes who'd been hustling animals for hundreds of dollars every day a year since I turned twelve! You were amazing, rabbit. Still are, as a matter of fact." Judy shakes her head, disbelieving the compliment for an instant--but as the light turns green she glances Nick's way again, and in her partner's eyes, both true affection and respect reside. And so,

"Thank you, Nick," she says.

"They can't get to you anymore if you don't let them, Carrots," Nick tells her. "Just help them as best you can. If we do our jobs right, we'll be able to make sure that anyone can be anything here in Zootopia." Disbelieving the proof of her ears, Judy asks,

"Just when did you get so optimistic, Wilde?" Her partner is serious now as he replies

"When I met you, Hopps. When I met you. And I'll be glad to meet your parents in whatever capacity they think I can." Judy's ears rise up with happiness, and then she hears shouts emanating from a side street. Instantly, the two police officers are back on the job.

It's a mugging going wrong--well, wrong for the mugged if not the mugger. A golden lion tamarin has muscled a terrified aardvark up against the bricks of a building and is gripping his exposed tongue with a muscular hand. Judy's eyes narrow and Nick flinches in disgusted sympathy. "Ooh, now THAT'S just plain wrong!" He looks over at his partner as they exit their car.

"Together on three," the rabbit instructs quietly. The fox is appalled.

"What, you want to rush them?"

"Do you know a better way to stop a mugging, Nick?" He shrugs slightly.

"We ARE in civilian clothes today. Maybe we can make like two concerned citizens walking by, and just talk it out with the tamarin." Judy taps one foot in thought even as she studies Nick in awe. It never ceases to amaze her how much of a pacifist her partner actually is. He would gladly choose words over wounds every time, while she thinks nothing of getting down and dirtied in the trenches. If a perp wants to fight, so be it; Judy Hopps' skills will be a big surprise to them. But, being a curious creature at heart, she decides to see how her partner's talking attempt works out. So she nods and gives him the go-ahead. 

"All right, Nick. I'll follow your lead." He gives her a quick thankful nod.

"Appreciated, Carrots. Whoa, that is a simian Stradivarius!" He adds appreciatively. When Judy gives him a quizzical glance, Nick nods at the golden monkey's hands. "Look at the length of those fingers!" 

The rabbit snorts. "I never knew you were a fan of classical pianists, Nicholas Wilde." The fox nudges her jauntily.

"There's a lot you still don't know about me. Well, maybe not a LOT, but some things are . . ."

"I know, I know--some things about you are too mysterious for my little bunny brain to grasp."

"You said it, not me!"

By this time, they've come abreast of the site of the mugging, and the tamarin turns to look their way in annoyance, while the anteater gazes over in fear. "Can I help you with something?" the simian growls with bared teeth.

"Oh, thanks for the offer, but I think it's WE who can help YOU," Nick asserts cheerfully.

"Really? How can you do that?"

"Well, it seems to me that you're pretty well-endowed in the hands department with strength and precision. And looks--you've got some nice-looking hands, Mr. Tamarin." The tamarin doesn't exactly smile, but if he had feathers he would have preened. Judy is sure of it.

"So what's your point, fox?"

"Well . . ." Nick draws out the word, thinking fast. "Why waste your obvious talents on--pardon me for saying so--brutish work like this? It's clear to me that you've got style, strength, and rhythm. Why not use those assets in a . . . more agreeable fashion?"

"This IS agreeable to me," the tamarin grunted, still holding tightly to the aardvark. Judy is even MORE on her guard now, but her partner never loses his cool. The only evidence telegraphing his slight unease is the fact that his tail is rising and looks a bit like a bottlebrush.

"Okay, maybe it is for you, and I appreciate that--I understand the rush of lawlessness, the power of a steal or a con," Nick enthuses, carefully not looking at Judy. He doesn't want to know how his enjoyment of his past life sits with her. "But I don't think anyone else is really recognizing your talents in this area. Same went for me--when I hustled someone, they never saw how good of a job I'd done; they only cared that I swindled 'em. I think you ought to try something that shows the world how terrific the tamarin . . . what's your first name, friend?" 

"Telemachus," the tamarin supplies, eyes brightening at the use of the word 'terrific' to describe him.

"Telemachus," Nick raises his eyebrows at his partner. "What a name! It should be posted up on the walls of concert halls, like Gazelle's. You got any other talents, Telemachus? Marketable ones?" Telemachus has released the aardvark at last in order to show off his skill set.

"I'm acrobatic and fast as lightning--that's why the cops haven't caught me doin' this yet. Watch!" He leaps up, his toes gripping an unevenly placed brick in the wall, and he flips himself upward to catch hold of the end of a drainage pipe with his tail. Then the tamarin swings forward, pushing off the brick wall and flinging himself across the alley where they are, flipping through the air before landing neatly on his feet.

"Whooeee!" The sly fox whistles ecstatically. "You oughta be in Cirque du Soleil! See, honey? THAT'S how you do an aerial flip properly!" Judy Hopps' fascination turns to horror as her partner directs his second comment at her. She was just fine with being a spectator in this little drama, but now the eyes of the would-be mugger are focused on her with a curiosity that will no doubt turn quickly hostile if she says the wrong thing. The bunny plays it safe with,

"Yes, I see," putting the conversation ball back in her friend's territory. However, Nick isn't quite done involving her in his little charade.

"My girlfriend here is a bit of an amateur gymnast. She looks great in the uniform, don't get me wrong, but tends to loosen up too much in high-jump territory." :Nick Wilde is getting a REALLY big kick out of this--pretending she's his girlfriend, for one, to mess with his partner and prove just how clueless her parents really are. They believe a classic undercover story as truth! Not to mention he is making fun of her ability to jump, and if one knows ANYTHING about bunnies, you should know to never EVER underestimate their hop! Judy can't stop herself from glaring and gritting her teeth. 

"There is NOTHING wrong with my jumping ability, dearest," the rabbit raps out. The fox smiles, tickled pink that he's goaded her into playing along.

"Aw, now she's angry. Your eyes shine so brightly when you get angry." He tells her impishly. What on earth is he playing at?!? Wonders Judy. The aardvark is watching with wide eyes, and the tamarin--Telemachus--starts to laugh. He has completely let down his guard and forgotten what he chased the anteater down the alley to do. Even in her state of irritation, Judy can see that. She cannot help being a tiny bit impressed with Nick. Only a tiny bit! But this gets the tamarin to start talking about hitting the gym and working on his gymnastic talents. Maybe he can even give her a few pointers. She thanks him politely, but declines. And the aardvark--Archie, short for Archibald (it's a big day for the long and obscure names department)--actually offers Telemachus his card. He is a talent agent. What are the odds of that?!?

The Zootopia Cultural Center hired a slew of business animals to improve its exports--after Gazelle has gotten so huge, the city is searching for the next big thing, and Telemachus the talented tamarin could very well be it. Anyway, this kind offer gets the ex-mugger to feel some remorse, and he sincerely apologizes for his actions only minutes ago. The agent smiles. No harm done, and both males shake hands with Nick for his help in getting them together. He shrugs modestly and says he's only a fox out to lend a helping hand. All say their farewells and depart, Judy and Nick continuing their walk down the side street, exiting the alley and doubling back by going around the block so as not to arouse suspicion.

***

As the two officers of the ZPD amble back towards their safely stowed squad car, Judy Hopps grudgingly admits that her partner was pretty resourceful in talking down the would-be mugger. "Well thank you, Carrots! I'm just glad we didn't have to use any undue force."

"Like . . . a muzzle, perhaps?" she ventures. He visibly winces and the rabbit deflates.

"I'm sorry, Nick. I shouldn't have brought that up. I-I wasn't thinking." The fox sighs and faces her.

"No, Judy, you were, and I shouldn't be so against the idea. I know those measures might be necessary at some point. It's just--" She puts a placating paw on his arm.

"Nick, I know what you mean. And I completely understand your reluctance to resort to those measures. I'm actually trying to give you a compliment here. Your cover story and the way you talked to the perpetrator was . . . pretty impressive." Nick Wilde winks at her.

"Aw, now that is high praise, rabbit. But aren't you even a LITTLE bit mad about that jumping jab?" She sniffs and sighs heavily.

"I was trying to let it slide, but since you just brought it back up, yes I am! And speaking of which, WHY do you insist on telling everyone in our undercover operations that I'm your girlfriend? Aren't we trying to--I don't know--shut down that little charade?"

"Why? I happen to think it's pretty useful at diverting suspicion in those sorts of situations. It's just an op, Hopps. What, you can't handle me in that capacity even as a cover?" The fox actually seems slightly hurt as well as disbelieving. Judy purses her lips and rolls her eyes in exasperation.

"You're SO needy in the compliment department, Wilde! Of COURSE I can handle it; I just have to figure out how to explain the difference between ops and reality to my parents in a few days." The consternation on his brow clears as Nick remembers their earlier conversation(s). He pats his partner bracingly on the back.

"Ah yes. Say no more about your concerns; I understand completely, partner. That is the real issue here, isn't it?"

"Yeah. You got any bright ideas?"

"Not at the moment--I think we're both just gonna have to deal with it." Judy bounces in place with anxiety.

"Fantastic."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the actors in, creators of, and writers for Zootopia which has got to be my favorite Disney movie right now.
> 
> This series, and the specific story I'm writing, deals with misunderstood relationships because I appreciate the friendship between Judy Hopps and Nicholas Wilde; and though I have seen (and read) things about them as a couple, I personally like their friendship just as it is. No romantic strings attached. However, I do understand that other people can get mixed signals or wrong impressions about strong male/female friendships such as this one. I have been at the receiving end of these sorts of impressions many times in my life, currently even with my own family about my best friend.  
> This type of thing is important to me because I value strong bonds that are not necessarily romantically motivated, and the stories where such bonds are represented also. Thus the reason behind my long note here.


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